Early Education
There was a new sheriff in town. A very new sheriff. When the image (above) arrived in the mail from an ebay seller, I was taken aback by how young Deputy Sheriff Hans Hanson looked. Indeed. Because he was. The Gardiner Industrial Colony In researching Gardiner’s Industrial Colony noted in the photo’s caption, a New [Read More…]
Barnabas Benton, MD, Braecroft, and Mary Tice
In March of 2025, I was introduced to Dr. Barnabas Benton because members of my family bought his house. Well, not exactly buy his house, but the house he built in 1795. Given that he was born in 1760, I did not exactly meet him either […] This story is presented here as a downloadable [Read More…]
Putting Down Roots: An Interview with Tom Lindtveit
In February of 2024, I dropped a note to Woodsman Forest Products in West Hurley, NY, seeking a donation for the John Burroughs’ Woodchuck Lodge annual April Auction. The note was one of perhaps seventy-five I sent to businesses I hoped would want to help preserve the lodge. Woodsman Forest Products’ owner was among the [Read More…]
Commencement…
The laying of a cornerstone signifies an intention to build something important — a structure for the ages. A beginning to be celebrated by the communities involved. That was certainly the case for the cornerstone of the Hudson River’s Mid-Hudson Bridge 100 years ago this October 9th. It commenced a connection long dreamed of by [Read More…]
Historic Timbered Crossings
Longer covered bridges were constructed to span major streams like the Wallkill, Rondout, and Esopus, shorter covered bridges helped bind communities in the Catskills where narrow ravines and rushing water made travel difficult. Without exception, covered bridges provided practical crossings for widely separated hamlets that helped integrate rural economies based on agriculture with emerging villages [Read More…]
